title: Long-term stability of maxillary anterior alignment in non-extraction cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate long-term stability of maxillary incisors alignment in cases submitted to non-extraction orthodontic treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample comprised 23 patients (13 female; 10 male) at a mean initial age of 13.36 years (SD = 1.81 years), treated with fixed appliances. Dental cast measurements were obtained at three different time points (T1 - pretreatment, T2 - posttreatment and T3 - long-term posttreatment). Variables assessed in maxillary arch were Little Irregularity Index, intercanine, interpremolar and intermolar widths, arch length and perimeter. The statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests when necessary. Pearson' correlation coefficients were used to investigate possible associations between the evaluated variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant change in most arch dimension measurements during and after treatment, however, during the long-term posttreatment period, it was observed a significant maxillary incisors crowding relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The maxillary incisors irregularity increased significantly (1.52 mm) during long-term posttreatment. None of the studied clinical factors demonstrated to be predictive of the maxillary crowding relapse.
authors.forename: Luiz Filiphe Gonçalves
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Canuto
authors.forename: Marcos Roberto
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: de Freitas
authors.forename: Karina Maria Salvatore
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: de Freitas
authors.forename: Rodrigo Hermont
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Cançado
authors.forename: Leniana Santos
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Neves
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000628:therapy*; D008437:Maxilla; D003765:Models, Dental; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014081:Tooth Extraction; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Corrective orthodontics; Malocclusion; Relapse